Chapter 467: with translation of chapter title

Wei Yuan, County Magistrate, wait a moment!

Yu Die watched Wei Yuan turn his back and walk away, and hurriedly called out to stop him.

Wei Yuan halted, turned his head toward Yu Die, and asked, "Yu Baichu, what else do you have?"

"Wei Yuan, you cannot leave; you are the County Magistrate of Qingyang County, the child's parental official, how can you be considered an outsider?"

Yu Die flippantly offered a flattering remark, saw that Lü Tu's expression was somewhat displeased and was about to speak, knowing that he had grievances against Wei Yuan; not only Lü Tu, she herself also had grievances against Wei Yuan, and she said with a smiling grin:

"Moreover, if you don't let the County Magistrate stand by and watch us as we examine the child's spiritual root, then later when you sneakily write a letter to that Prime Minister's Daughter, who knows whether you'll exaggerate the facts inside?"

Wei Yuan's eyes shifted, yet fearing that Yu Die and the surrounding people might notice something odd, he quickly resumed normalcy, feigning confusion and said:

"Yu Baichu, what are you saying? How come I can't understand?"

"Are you truly unable to understand, or do you simply not wish to understand?"

Yu Die sneered.

Dai Zhishang's reminder made her realize why Wei Yuan would be willing to give Wang Ping'an, this child, the precious "Gentleman's Words" penned by a great Confucian, and she could not possibly be unaware that what she said was something Wei Yuan would certainly do.

Yu Die had no patience to listen to his defense here, and said, "Lv Qianhu, do you think what I said makes sense?"

Lü Tu ignored Yu Die's question, and instead stared coldly at Wei Yuan, his whole being like a beast that selects its prey to devour, frightening Wei Yuan into a trembling shiver, his expression blank as he said:

"Wei Yuan, what kind of person am I, Lü Tu? I think you know; if you don't, I suggest you go investigate, investigate."

"I know full well this child's situation, yet I still dare to accept this child as a disciple, which proves I have safeguarded the child; if this child suffers any misfortune, I will not let you off!"

"A bunch of beasts!"

Wei Yuan couldn't help but curse inwardly, and plaintively said:

"Lv Qianhu, I don't understand what you're saying; I have no grievance with this child. I am the County Magistrate of Qingyang County, and this child counts as a citizen within my jurisdiction."

"If he has any promise, later when I speak of him my face will shine; how could I possibly harm him? I think you have misunderstood me!"

Lü Tu was not fooled by Wei Yuan's acting; although Wei Yuan's performance was excellent, showing no flaw, it was evident he had been honed in the officialdom for countless years.

Nevertheless, he trusted his own judgment more, for he had a rough understanding of Wei Yuan, the County Magistrate of Qingyang County, and thus would not be easily deceived by him.

Lü Tu, expression blank, said, "Wei Yuan, I'll leave it at that; if this child meets any mishap, I will come find you!"

"Lv Qianhu…"

Wei Yuan wore a mournful expression, his words not yet finished, when Hu Jianbo cut in, "Lv Qianhu, what are you and the County Magistrate talking about? How come I can't understand?"

Tang Anzhi is already dead, his life taken by Li Daoyou, but that does not settle the affair of Tang Anzhi and Wei Yuan killing the righteous and taking credit; if he does not showcase the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan's might, people will keep regarding their clan as soft fruit, and he is preparing to find a chance to deal a harsh blow to Wei Yuan.

Hearing Lü Tu's words, he seemed to see an opportunity to cooperate with Lü Tu.

Lü Tu ignored Hu Jianbo, after all this was not a glorious matter; Wei Yuan could very well commit such disgraceful acts. The one truly disgraced was the Great Xia Court's face; he is a Thousand Commander of the Demon-Subduing Office, also a court-appointed official of Great Xia, and his own face is likewise disgraced.

He naturally did not want to involve outsiders, especially not monsters, in such a disgrace to his reputation.

Who doesn't know that the monsters living within Great Xia fear their court-appointed officials being embarrassed; the most widespread gossip about these officials is spread by the monsters within Great Xia.

"Yu Baichu, since you want this County Magistrate Wei to stay here, then just let him stay here!"

Lü Tu changed the subject, saying, "Go ahead and test the child's spiritual root; I actually want to see whether this child is a good seed for cultivation!"

"Wei Yuan, you must keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully; later when you sneakily convey messages to that Prime Minister's Daughter, be sure not to exaggerate!"

Yu Die snorted, unsure whether it was a command or a warning; as soon as the words left her mouth, she placed the crystal ball that Hu Jianbo had given her onto Wang Ping'an's chubby little outstretched hand, a trace of mana spilling from her palm seeped into the crystal ball, and the ball flickered with a faint light, prompting her to exclaim in surprise:

"One type, two types, three types… five types?"

Inside the crystal ball were five clusters of differently colored, extremely faint lights, representing that Wang Ping'an possessed five attributes, a Five Elements spiritual root.

Hu Jianbo, startled and doubtful, said, "How could it be? How could it be a lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root?"

Wang Ping'an having a Five Elements spiritual root surprised him a bit, but it was not unexpected; ever since he bought the Small Five Elements Sword Formation from Li Daoyou, he knew Li Daoyou was a Five Elements spiritual root.

Li Daoyou favored this child, perhaps attracted by the child's talent, wishing to take the child as a disciple; ten out of nine chances the child could also be a Five Elements spiritual root.

This novel you...

But.

He never could have imagined that Wang Ping'an would turn out to be a lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root!

"Lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root?"

Wang Ping'an had originally been looking forward to what kind of spiritual root he possessed, never expecting it to be a lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root.

Listening to Hu Jianbo's disappointed tone, whether it was Yu Die, Lü Tu, or Wei Yuan, all wore faces of disappointment, as if this lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root wasn't that great.

Dai Zhishang, puzzled, said, "Everyone, is there any saying about this lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root? Why are you all one after another wearing disappointed expressions—could it be that this lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root is really that bad?"

After a long while without anyone responding, Hu Jianbo settled his tangled emotions, stepped forward, and explained:

"Cultivators seeking the qualification to practice must, besides a special constitution, possess a spiritual root; without a spiritual root one cannot cross the threshold into cultivation."

"A lower‑grade spiritual root can at best barely satisfy the qualification for cultivation!"

"To achieve on the lofty path of cultivation is not impossible, but it is even more difficult than ascending to heaven, let alone with a lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root!"

"There were many more things he did not say: cultivators, even rogue Taoists, rarely take disciples with lower‑grade spiritual roots; as for a lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root, it is not even worth a glance—one could say Wang Ping'an's lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root completely severs his chance at cultivation."

He never expected that the child Li Daoyou had taken a liking to would turn out to be a lower‑grade Five Elements spiritual root.

"Did Li Daoyou miss the mark?"

In Hu Jianbo's mind, myriad tangled thoughts surfaced, and he thought to himself:

"Or perhaps I guessed wrong; Li Daoyou does not intend to take this child as a disciple, but has some unknown connection with the Wang Family, which is why he cares so much about the Wang Family?"

(End of chapter)